


Kiss the Cook

by PK_Wonderstruck



Category: Mother 2: Gyiyg no Gyakushuu | EarthBound, Mother 3
Genre: Fluff, I am in Ship Hell huh, M/M, There are like three other character briefly mentioned but not enough to make a tag for them
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-11
Updated: 2020-07-11
Packaged: 2021-03-05 04:48:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,183
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25208746
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PK_Wonderstruck/pseuds/PK_Wonderstruck
Summary: Ness invites Lucas over, and in return Lucas tries to make something extremely simple for dinner: Pan Seared Steak. He's trying to learn how to be a cook. Fluff and good times ensue because why not.
Relationships: Lucas (Mother 3)/Ness (Mother 2)
Comments: 3
Kudos: 13





	Kiss the Cook

**Author's Note:**

> FINALLY, I FINISHED SOMETHING!!!
> 
> Enjoy
> 
> Also AO3 spacing is weird.

Today was just another one of those days. Where there was no reason to do anything or be proactive. Maybe it was due to lack of sleep. Maybe it was being so bored out of his mind that he felt this way. Or it could be something else entirely. Ness was almost certain it was the first one. He slept like shit, barely holding on with a mere 5 hours after going to bed at 3am, because he could. It felt like everyone was so far away, tangled in their own worlds that filled the gigantic solar system of life. Poo was training, Jeff was working on an important invention with Tony, and Paula was busy spending time with her family. This left Ness all alone. Well, almost all alone, since he obviously had King, Tracy, and his mother for company. Someone else too… if he was able to pull this telepathy thing off that Paula had been teaching him. That is if he’s even here. Ness never knows where he is unless he’s right beside him. He could be in town, at home, maybe even at one of the sanctuaries. He was always wandering the world in awe. Despite his past, he managed to see the beauty in some things, mostly nature. But, like Ness, his thoughts could still be a pain in the ass. Ness stared at the ceiling of his bedroom, legs crossed and hands interlocked over his chest as he sighed. Somehow, it was already 4pm. He had done nothing the entire day and wanted to do nothing more than fall back asleep, but he wasn’t tired enough for that. Yeah… might as well see if he can come over so Ness doesn’t die from boredom. Closing his eyes, he tried to reach out to someone. He had no idea how Paula did this so well, but he was at least able to feel someone. Travelling through complete emptiness, occasionally hearing whispers or laughter. It was much easier if he was closer to the person, but Ness wasn’t. He could hear a pulse, and someone speaking, but they felt too far away for him to understand what they were saying. He unlocked his hands and pressed them to his head, as if that would help at all. The whispering got louder. Did that mean he got him?

_ “I don’t even know if this is working but… is that you Lucas?”  _ Ness tried to speak telepathically. Silence. Maybe he was just imagining things.

_ “You’re going to have to do A LOT better than that if you’re going to try and find Lucas.”  _ A voice responded with a chuckle. That slightly high pitched tone with a hint of sass… 

_“Paula?”_ _  
__“Yeah it’s me. Telepathy is tricky. You’re probably trying too hard, actually. A good tip is trying to think of the person instead of trying to find their thoughts. I don’t know why that works, but it does. Makes it easier to connect then going off of a guess. You must’ve locked onto me since I was the easiest one to find after all the practice we did together.”_

_“That makes sense. Least I’m getting the hang of this. Wait, didn’t you say you’re spending time with your parents?”_ _  
__“I WAS, right now I’m eating crackers and taking a break from the movie binging. VHS Tapes can be annoying to properly rewind without anything getting tangled.”_

_ “...”  _ Ness stayed silent for now. This was starting to give him a headache. Maybe Paula could help-

_“Help you find Lucas?”_ _  
__“How did you know?”_

_ “I can read your thoughts, remember? You can read mine too, but I’m not thinking of anything else except how I need a glass of water. Even if I couldn’t read your mind, the very first thing you said to me was if I was Lucas, or did you already forget you ever said that?” _

_“... I think I forgot”_ _  
__“I can get him for you if you want. Wait… what does he look like again?”_ Paula had only seen Lucas once, so her memory was a bit fuzzy. 

_“Uh… blonde hair that somehow goes up. He probably uses gel for it. Yellow and red striped shirt, jean shorts, red and yellow shoes, white socks, sparkly blue eyes… heartwarming smile…”_ _  
__“Ness.”_ _  
__“Crazy loud laugh… can kick ass…”_ _  
__“Ness!”_ _  
__“Sometimes there’s even a sunflower in his hair-”_ _  
__“NESS!”_ _  
_ “Shit!” Ness jumped, his wide smile fading immediately, cursing out loud, eye wide open. He didn’t even realize he drifted off. Again. He touched his cheek. Yeah, it felt hot alright. _“I uh…”_ _  
__“You’re thinking about apologizing to me but you don’t want to sound rude because ever since you started dating him recently Lucas has been a large beacon of joy for you and it’s hard to not think about him which makes you feel guilty about how you haven’t talked to us as much, even if we are busy right now?”_ Paula said without even pausing, almost effortlessly, knowing what Ness would say just as he thought of it himself. Ness let out a nervous chuckle to himself.

_“Damn you’re good at this telepathy thing.”_ _  
__“We got your back too, you know.”_

_“I know, I know. What about going to the Burger Shop tomorrow to catch up?”_ _  
__“Sounds like a ‘lovely’ meeting place.”_ Extreme sarcasm detected. 

_ “Unless you got a better idea than getting the best Burger and Fries on planet Earth, I think it’s a perfect place.”  _ Ness said this proudly, and he swore he heard a snicker from Paula, somehow.

_“Whatever. I’ll try and figure out where Lucas is now. And Ness?”_ _  
__“What?”_ _  
__“Try not to make an absolute fool of yourself.”_ Then Paula hung up. Wait… would that be the right term? Ness couldn’t feel her presence anymore so it had to be. Just like a phone call, that’s what telepathy can be described as. _Ugh, you’re being stupid_ , Ness told himself. He might as well tell his Mom what he was planning on doing now. 

“Feeling any better, Ness?” His mom asked once he came downstairs and rubbed his dead eyes. She was sporting another red dress with heels. It had been an hour and thirty minutes since he “talked” to Paula. He’d been in his room almost all day, aside from eating of course, so naturally she had been worried.   
“Yeah, actually, I am. Uh… is it okay that I invited Lucas over?”  
“Of course! That dashing young man is free to come over whenever he wants.” Ness chuckled at the word “dashing”. “Tracy was actually planning on going over to her new friends’ house, and I wanted to meet the parents for myself. A new family with a daughter named Rose moved into that house overlooking the water in the far left side of town a few days ago, and after the two met in town they became instant friends. It’s amazing what wonders our little town can do.” 

“Yeah…” Ness softly said, thinking about that day when the meteor crashed down and his entire life was flipped upside down. It’s felt like ages since then, even though it’s only been a few months. “You go have fun, I’ll be just fine here.”  
“I know you will.” She ruffled his messy hair, in which Ness groaned in protest. “Be sure to change out of your pajamas by the time Lucas arrives.” Wait, he was still in his pajamas? Ness looked down. Holy crap, he totally forgot he was! He showed nothing short of shock.  
“I didn’t even realize that.” Ness muttered to himself. “Huh, I really am that tired.” With nothing else to say, Ness trotted back up the stairs to change into his normal clothes that he wore almost everyday. He could hear Tracy beginning to pack in her room, too. He opened the drawer. Yep, at least six pairs of the same exact t-shirt, along with some others he never wore. After doing this, he placed his cap over his horribly messy hair and went back downstairs. King was on the couch, staring blankly at the black screen of the TV. He heard Tracy come down the stairs with her bag on her shoulder. Peeking his head over the couch, Ness saw that they were planning on leaving right now.   
“See ya big bro!” Tracy shouted excitedly before walking out the door. His mom simply nodded with a smile, and then the door closed. The house was all his. Ness sat there for a few seconds in complete silence, the only thing filling his mind being the ticking sound of a clock up on the wall and his hand rubbing King’s back. King was getting old. He was about as old as Ness. The dog didn’t do much these days, but he was still just as caring towards Ness as he was years ago. It was during the time Ness was petting King that someone knocked on the door. It was him, it _had_ to be him. Ness practically jumped out of his seat, almost tripping and falling over, as he ran over to the door and opened it. 

“Paula telepathically told me you wanted to invite me over?” Lucas said. There seemed to be a bag in his hand, with items Ness didn’t think to look at. He was too busy letting go of the door and practically tackling Lucas with a tight hug. Lucas would’ve dropped the bag had he not had a death grip on it, anticipating what Ness would do.   
“It feels like it’s been ages since the last time I saw you!” Ness exclaimed.

“Can’t… breathe…”  
“Oh.” Ness let go. Lucas coughed while giving a thumbs up.  
“It’s only been a week but it’s definitely felt much longer.” Lucas motioned to the bag. “Glad nothing in there was damaged.”  
“What are you even doing with that bag?” King slowly rose from his resting spot on the couch and walked over to Lucas and Ness once they entered the house. Lucas kneeled down to pet the old soul. “Wait… do I see steak in there?” King must’ve heard Ness, because he proceeded to stick his head in the bag and sniff out the steak. Lucas picked up the bag and placed it on the counter, then looked for a cutting board in the cabinets. Ness pointed to the bottom left drawer, and Lucas took it out.

“Yep! Thought I’d make dinner. You got a pan?”  
“Yeah… wait, wouldn’t you need a grill?” A puzzled look was on Ness’ face. Who made steak without a grill?

“I want to try something different. There’s two steaks in case the idea I want to try messes up completely.” Ness’ mouth was already beginning to water at all this mention of steak. Along with hamburgers, steak was mankind’s greatest achievement. No, it was not up for debate with Ness, no matter how much Jeff told him otherwise. Lucas had told him last week when they met in Twoson that he wanted to try to learn how to cook. Guess he kept his word, seeing him beginning to take out certain ingredients along with the steaks carefully sealed in a plastic bag. Lucas may be a novice at this, but Ness wasn’t about to doubt his ability to impress him beyond belief. His hopes were high, maybe too high. It felt odd on one end to have someone do this for him, but on the other it’s not like he would refuse this. 

“You didn’t have to do this, you know. I mean it’s nice and all but, really… it’s not necessary.” Lucas finished unpacking and turned around. He chuckled, before proceeding to sigh.

“I don’t think I’m doing good enough if I’m being honest. I still feel too distant. I don’t know what goes on in your head, but I bet you’re thinking that it’d be better if I could stick around for _just_ a little longer.”  
“What? No, you’re doing fine! I’m just being selfish, that’s all. Don’t worry about me.” Ness said the last part with fake enthusiasm and a smile.  
“I’m _hardwired_ to worry about you constantly, even if I wasn’t this close. You keep to yourself too much. I just thought this would help make you feel… comfortable with sharing something. Plus, I couldn’t miss the opportunity of trying to show off how good I can make steak.” 

“...” Ness wasn’t sure what to say since Lucas was right. There was a lot on his mind at all times he hid whenever Lucas was around, so it wouldn’t ruin their day. “Well if you’re lucky I may talk, but even Paula can’t do anything with the help of telepathy.” 

“Is that a challenge I sense?” A pan rattled onto the stove and a clicking noise was heard three times as a fire ignited to life. It was put to heat at a fast pace to speed the process. Lucas began pulling more stuff out of the bag, until he got to the bottom, which was an apron. He put it on, the plain white apron reading “Kiss The Cook” in big red letters. 

“Maybe.” The effects of having a horrible sleep were beginning to set in. He yawned, feeling his grip on the couch slipping. God, why did today have to be the day where he couldn’t sleep due to… ah nevermind. He mentally blocked out those thoughts. “How long is this going to take?” Putting the now uncovered Steak on the cutting board, Lucas patted it down with paper towels and put a small amount of salt and pepper on both sides, the delicate type used for special occasions. The other thing on the counter was Vegetable Oil.   
“Fifteen minutes.”

“Oh. Good.” His words slurred together. Ness could only assume Lucas had bought all of this with his own money on his way over here. Did those leftover Dragon Points really work around here as a currency? Questions for later. 

“You sound extremely tired.” Oil was poured into the pan, stirred around with one hand. The other hand would lay motionless by his side. At the moment he placed the pan down, he felt Ness try and hold his free hand, which he batted off.   
“Wha-”  
“Would you mind giving me some space for just a few more moments?” The blonde turned around. Lucas leaned against the stove and crossed his arms, tilting his head. Despite the annoyed tone, he was smiling, a very captivating smile that made Ness smile as well. “Don’t give me that.”   
“What? I’m just smiling.”   
“Yeah, and it’s breaking my concentration. Just… stay over there and talk about something instead. I’d rather hand hold and all the other sappy romantic things you throw around later.” Placing the steak in the pan, he heard it begin to sizzle almost instantly. It would take 4 minutes before he would have to flip it. That’s 4 good minutes to talk with Ness.   
“What do you think growing up will be like?” Ness asked this in a tone that made him seem afraid of asking such a vague question. His eyes were glued to the ground as his mind filled to the brim with answers. 

“Well, I’m not too sure. That’s not much of a question we can answer right now. We’re still young after all.” Lucas looked for a response from Ness, but Ness kept his head down. “You’re worried about the future, aren’t you?” The only thing easing Ness’ mind was the sizzling from the steak, and Lucas’ words. He tended to speak very gently, in a manner that would make anyone safe around him. He wouldn’t lie, in this very moment Ness felt comfortable enough to share at least a fraction of how he felt. 

“Of course I am!” The response was very defensive. “Who wouldn’t be?! I don’t even know how to stop constantly thinking about everything that can go wrong. Even if it feels like you and I have already gone through the hard part,” They have never told their pasts to each other, but the two of them knew it wasn’t pretty. “There’s still _so_ many things that are still in our way and-” Ness was stopped in his tracks by the pair of hands which interlocked with his. There was that smile again from Lucas. He noticed it when he looked back up, and the blush the two shared.   
“Sounds like you’ve already given up before anything has happened. Why not lighten up a little?” Ness cracked a smile. 

“Damn it, you make it hard for me to say no.” 

“You should say no even if I’m not the one telling you to.” Ness inched closer, squeezing his hands. “If you could let go now, I need to flip the steak. Ness. Ness?” His heart was beating faster. His mind was thinking on it’s own, no longer understanding the perception of time or space. He had a chance here he didn’t want to waste. For a brief moment he couldn’t even hear Lucas. He wanted something more. Another hug maybe, perhaps a kiss at best. Yeah, that’d- “Ness?” 

“Gah!” Ness jumped, eyes wide open. His boyfriend snickered. “Oh. Uh…” He let go, mentally cursing to himself. “Sorry.” His eyes darted all over the room. Damn it, he messed up again, and judging by the smirk Lucas had before turning around he knew exactly what Ness was thinking! The steak was flipped. The sound was music to Ness’ ears. 

“You’re not normally this nervous about anything. I thought I was the one who was always lost in his own thoughts?” Lucas had a point. Ness’ head was never in the clouds. It was always Lucas who could touch them instead. “If you have something to say you can spit it out.”

“...” The ticking of the clock rattled in his head. Ness stayed quiet, his lips moving but his mouth never opening. He wasn’t sure what to say, or how to put it into words. “If…” He bit his tongue, taking a deep breath and trying to say the sentence again. Come on Ness, just tell him the sole thing always on your mind. “If I told you I have trouble not thinking about you, would you say I’m crazy?”

“Nope!” Lucas responded without hesitation and with a burst of enthusiasm. “I think about you a lot too.” The very thought made him seem more happy. “The thing that’s always struck me the most about you is your eyes.”  
“My… my eyes?” 

“Yeah. You never see anyone with purple eyes after all, do you? They’re like waves.” Lucas leaned forward and squinted to get a better look. Ness backed up a little. “If you look closely enough, I swear I can see waves. It constantly goes up and down across the shoreline. It suits you. Your emotions can change very quickly, and yet you’re able to stay calm. At least most of the time you are.” Ness nervously rubbed his arm at the compliment. “What do you see when you look at me?” 

“Well…” Now it was Ness’ turn to lean in. Lucas didn’t move. Alright then. Ness peered as best as he could. At first he didn’t understand what Lucas was saying, since he saw nothing. He tried harder, concentrating on the same level as if he were planning to use PK Rockin’ Ω. That’s when he saw it. “I see stars. Lots of them.” Maybe this was simply something only PSI users could see, or maybe every human had a spark beneath the surface which defined them. “It’s really cool.” The timer went off in Lucas’ head. He backed off and went to fetch the steak, now ready with a small touch of butters glazed on top. Huh, well that was super easy. Again, Ness felt like he missed his chance there. They were rather close. His cheeks flared as he let out a heavy, annoyed sigh. Enough is enough. He’d always been unable to take the initiative, and Lucas was always the one to do it. Sure, it’s selfish and stupid to literally be craving a kiss at this point, but  _ fuck _ that, he wanted to kiss the cook. “Lucas. I didn’t realize your apron had words on it. What’s it say again?” His tone was riddled with false enthusiasm. Lucas didn’t catch it. After all, the steak was on the table with a glass of water. 

“Oh this ‘Kiss the Cook’ thing? I had absolutely no reason to buy it but I thought it’d be fun to wear it while I… uuuuhhhh…” Ness was only about an inch higher than Lucas minus the hair, or maybe two, and yet it was as if he was towering over the blonde. More than anything it surprised him, but through those determined eyes Lucas saw the reason. He cleared his throat, uttering two words with a chuckle. “About time.” Ness put his hands on Lucas’ cheeks, his hands warming up at the touch. Lucas just nodded with that dazzling smile of his. That was all he needed to see. 

With one last deep breath, he guided Lucas closer as their lips were bound to each other. Ness struggled to figure out what he needed to do, but his mind was already melted. He let his body relax. Lucas, with closed eyes, moved his hand to where one of Ness’ was on his cheek, and interlocked with it, bringing it down to their waist. The clock kept ticking. Ten times, then eleven, then twelve. Fireworks exploded in their minds, an intense burst of joy unfolding unlike anything they have felt since the last kiss. Twenty ticks, meaning twenty seconds of pure bliss. Ness pressed a bit harder before finally letting go, sucking in air. He wasn’t able to hold his breath for long, unlike Lucas. Their faces were as red as a tomato and that wasn’t surprising in the least to the two of them. 

“Is that a good enough repayment for dinner?” Ness asked.

“Maybe I’ll let the bill slide and keep it on the house.” The two, for reasons unknown to them, began to laugh out loud. What an unexpected yet expected turn of events! The two couldn’t have asked for a better meet up. They patted each on the back, sighed as their stomachs stopped shaking from the laughing, and then Ness finally sat down in the designated seat to get a taste of his pan seared steak. “You did a really good job by the way.”   
“Really?” Well, what a surprise. Lucas gave the ok sign. Sure this wasn’t the first time they kissed nor would it be the last, but something just felt different about it this time to Lucas. “It’s a shame that steak is superior to all other things then.”  
“You break my heart.” There was no response to the joke. Ness was too busy taking his first bite of steak. He bit down on it, eyes instantly widening, his chewing slowing down to nothing but a crawl.   
“Holy crap! This is amazing tho???!!!” 

“Seriously?” The comment brought forth a toothy smile from Lucas.  _ God, even his teeth were perfect _ , Ness thought to himself. His very presence would never fail to brighten Ness’ day. He scarfed down the steak like there was no tomorrow. “Oh right, I forgot to make something for myself. Let me-”

“I’ll do it.” Ness said in between bites. “Take a break, you’ve already done more than enough. You’re supposed to be the guest.” King, his presence finally known once again after yet another slumber, begged for a small piece of steak. Ness happily gave it to him, before the old soul walked off, his duty fulfilled. Sleep was all he cared about these days. 

“I feel a bit more esteemed than _just_ a guest.” Boom. The steak was gone. Easy as that. No one could eat food faster than Ness. The surprise turned to concern “Are you sure you don’t want me to help?”  
“It _would_ be more fun if you did. I don’t know what I’m doing after all.” 

“... Ness?” There was that quiet yet gentle tone again. Did he do something wrong? 

“Y-yeah?”   
“Thanks for letting me come over.” 

“Oh.” The blush returned, much weaker than the previous one. “I’m… really glad you did. It’s only been thirty minutes or so but I’m enjoying myself.” A brief pause as Lucas took Ness’ plate. Ness took a sip of water and asked another question, probably the most important one. Unsureness clawed at his brain, but he pushed it aside. “I think it’s about time we exchanged pasts, don’t you agree?” 

“Wanna do that over videogames then?” In Ness’ room, there was a Nintendo 64, with a few games to select from. Ness chuckled, giving the most genuine smile he could muster, feeling perfectly content with the answer at last. Perhaps it was the boost in confidence he indirectly gained tonight that he needed, or maybe it was knowing he fully trusted giving out the information now. Who knew. Whatever the case was, Ness’ answer was three simple words:

“I’d love to!” 


End file.
